Actor

(Born 20.08. 1949)

Josef Koshelevich studied at the studio affiliated with the academy Drama Theater named after Yanka Kupala (Minsk) in 1967-69 at the master shop of the People’s Artist of the USSR L. Rakhlenko. In 1973, he graduated from the Higher Theater College named after M. Shchepkin. He had played at the Russian Drama Theater named after Samed Vurgun (Azerbaijan, Baky) for sixteen years; after some time, he had turned into one of the leading actors of the troupe. Among the best Josef Koshelevich’s roles are Valentin(“Valentin and Valentina,” M. Roshchin, 1973), Shiryiye (“Farkhad and Shirin,” S. Vourgoon, 1976), Alik (“A House on the Sands,” R. Ibragimbekov, 1977),   Cassio (“Otello,” W. Shakespeare, 1977), Orest (“My Love Electra,” L. Dyurko, 1980), Doctor Lvov (“Ivanov,” A. Chekhov, 1982), Nikolay Turbin (“The Days of the Turbins,” M. Bulgakov, 1982), Arman Duval (“Lady of the Camelias,” A. Dumas, 1982), Freddy Paige (“A Deep Blue Sea,” T. Rattigan, 1983),  Tartuffe in Moliere’s comedy of the same name (1984), Doctor Makarov (“Barbarians.” M. Gorky, 1984), Benya Krik (“The Sunset,” I. Babel, 1988), Prince Myshkin (“Idiot,” Fedor Dostoyevsky, 1988), and many others. Reviewers, describing the manner of actors’ impersonations, singled out Josef Koshelevich’s softness and plasticity, his ability to delicately structure psychological transformations of the roles. Troupe of Leningrad Academy Drama Theater named after A. Pushkin in 1982. In the years of his work at the theater, he played more than 30 bit part roles among which there were Baty’s Ambassador (“Alexandr Nevsky” by V. Belov, 1990), Koshchey the Immortal (“A Fairy tale about Love,” G. Gorbovitsky, 1989), Sir Robert Wilson (“Field Marshall Kutuzov” by V. Soloviev, 1990), Zuban (“The Extreme Penalty” by V. Arro, 1990), Pharisee (“Jesus’ Mother” by A. Volodin, 1991), Stepan (“Look for the Wind in the Fields” by V. Lifshits, 1991), Doctor Chizhov (“Poppy” by Z. Gippius, 1993), Compere (“Elegy” by P. Pavlovsky, 1993), Teacher of Literature (“Simple-minded” by Lope de Vega, 1994), Autolycus (“The Winter’s Tale” by W. Shakespeare, 1995),   Sobansky (“Boris Godunov” by A. Pushkin, 1999), and many others.   The role of provocateur Lippanchnko in the performance after Andrey Bely’s novel “Petersburg” became (2005). The actor artfully led his party in the complicated polyphonic composition created by Andrey Moguchy; he managed to build up the intonation and plastic pattern of the role. Insignificant and authoritative, omnipresent and eternally elusive, a play-actor changing masques but having no face of his own, Lippanchnko was turning into a precursor of the fatal imminence of events.

In the 2006/2007 season, he played the role of Petrushin in Valery Fokin’s performance The Living Corps after L.Tolstoy’s play, and the role of Anton Prokofievich Pupopuz in Andrey Moguchy’s performance The Ivans after N. Gogol’s The Story How Ivan Ivanovich Quarreled with Ivan Nikiforovich and other N. Gogol’s writings. He is also engaged in the performance Ksenia. The History of Love by V. Levanov (Director Valery Fokin, 2009). He is engaged in the group scenes of W.Shakespeare's Hamlet (Director Valery Fokin, 2010).